Long Island Lutheran tops Molloy, 77-67, in SNY Invitational opener

By Stefan Anderson | Jan 26, 2018 | 9:51PM

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Long Island Lutheran advances00:01:52

In the first round of the SNY Invitational, Long Island Lutheran defeated Archbishop Molloy, 77-67, to advance to the finals Saturday.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - With their two high-profile players in Cole Anthony and Moses Brown, the Archbishop Molloy Stanners possessed the better players. But after being led by five players in double figures, the Long Island Lutheran Crusaders stunned Molloy 77-67, showing them that they were the better team in the opening match of the SNY Invitational Friday evening.

"We are trying to make strides as a program," said LuHi coach John Buck. "We had some great wins but on a stage like this against a city power like [Molloy] we wanted to show that we could come and compete with the best of them"

Despite Anthony's 15 first half points, the Crusaders took charge in the second quarter by exasperating the McDonalds' All-American Brown offense, holding him to one basket in the first half.

An 8-0 run midway through gave Lu-Hi an early six-point lead and they never looked back as went into intermission with a 32-23 lead.

LuHi guard Frankie Policelli led the way for the Crusaders, scoring 11 of his 16 points in the first half.

The Crusaders made it their mission to close out Brown and successfully did by holding him to seven points and 10 rebounds. "Coach John Buck, I salute him. He came out with a great plan to stop Moses and he did really good job," said Molloy guard Anthony. "It was hard for me to get him the ball and hard in general."

LuHi came out of the half clicking and kept giving the Queens powerhouse, Molloy, their best punch. The collective bunch of Crusaders applied pressure to the Stanners defense with scoring form all places.

"We overcame a lot of turnovers by everyone coming out and making plays," said Buck. "It's very hard to guard us because we have so many guys who could do something."

Tyson Etienne tied for a team-high in scoring with 16 points, Tykei Greene had 14 points, and Donatas Kupsas also chipped in with 12 points. Andre Curbelo also came in off the bench to pour in 16 points.

Down double digits in the fourth, Molloy's star point guard, Anthony, unleashed a barrage of three pointers in a comeback attempt that brought his team within seven. But LuHi spoiled the moment, as the Crusaders knocking down free throws to close out the win.

"I was thinking I need to do anything I can to get my team into the game," said Anthony, who had a game high 34 points and 10 rebounds. "If it means with a steal, rebound, bucket it doesn't matter, I was trying to get my team back in the game."

"One of my coaches tried to be him in practice but you can't replicate how fast and explosive he is," Buck said of Anthony. "He's a tremendous player; I'm just glad we got the win."

LuHi will face the winner of Hudson Catholic and Cardinal Hayes in the SNY Invitational championship at 4 p.m. on Saturday

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St. John's Takeaways from 74-65 loss to Arizona State in NCAA Tournament First Four

Mustapha Heron shoots 1-for-11 as Johnnies eliminated from Tournament

Mar 20 | 11:50PM

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(Rick Osentoski)

St. John's was the 68th team selected in the NCAA Tournament's field of 68, and they looked the part Wednesday night as they never held a lead in a 74-65 loss to Arizona State in a First Four matchup of No. 11 seeds in the West Region. St. John's was eliminated and still hasn't won a Tournament game since 2000. >> Box score

Things to know about Wednesday's game...

1) This was the worst day for Mustapha Heron to have a nightmare of a game. The Auburn transfer had just six points after entering the game averaging 14.9 points per game for the season. Heron didn't score in the first half and finished 1-for-11 from the field with four turnovers. Early in the second half he went to the line for three free throws and missed all three attempts. Marvin Clark II did not score and finished 0-for-5 from the field after averaging 10.8 points per game during the season.

12:08AM

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Iona preps for showdown00:01:01

Jeane Coakley talked to Iona Gaels senior guard, Rickey McGill, ahead of the team leaving for the NCAA Tournament to face North Carolina.

MAAC champions Iona are back in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season, but as a No. 16 seed have a tall task ahead of them with a matchup against No. 1 North Carolina set for Friday in Columbus at 9:20 p.m.

Senior guard Rickey McGill talks to SNY's Jeane Coakley about returning to the Big Dance and how they can pull off the big upset like UMBC did last year as the first ever No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the Tournament.

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St. John's takes on Arizona State in NCAA Tournament First Four at 9:10 p.m.

Red Storm, the 68th team selected, looks for first Tournament win since 2000

Mar 20 | 7:30PM

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Mar 14, 2019; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Chris Mullin coaches against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the first half of a quarterfinal game of the Big East conference tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports (Noah K. Murray)

St. John's is making its first NCAA appearance under Chris Mullin, the school legend who is in his fourth season as head coach, making steady improvement. St. John's last made the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and hasn't won a game in the tourney since 2000.

"It's a good step forward," Mullin said Sunday night.

"Historically, traditionally, this is where St. John's has always been. To get back to this point, I'm happy for my players first and foremost. ... Every year, we've gotten progressively better."

10-seed Seton Hall will head to Jacksonville in the Midwest Regional and play 7-seed Wofford in the first round Thursday.

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St. John's makes tournament as one of last four teams in, will face Arizona State on Wednesday

Winner will play Buffalo in first round of West Regional

Mar 17 | 6:42PM

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Johnnies react to NCAA bid00:02:17

St. John's head coach Chris Mullin and the Red Storm players react to the news that they are headed to the NCAA tournament

They had to hold their breaths, but St. John's is in -- barely.

The Johnnies secured a NCAA Tournament berth Sunday as an 11-seed, but will have to play in the "First Four" round Wednesday against Arizona State in Dayton, Ohio. The winner of that matchup will earn the right to play No. 6 Buffalo in Tulsa.

St. John's (20-12, 8-10 Big East) is coming off a blowout loss against Marquette last Thursday in the Big East Tournament. Whether they'd done enough during conference play, coupled with a relatively weak non-conference schedule, put the Johnnies squarely on the bubble entering Selection Sunday.

After St, John's defeated then-No. 13 Villanova on Feb. 17, the only question regarding the Red Storm's NCAA Tournament future was what seed they would get.

But after going 1-4 to close out the regular season with two losses to Xavier and one apiece to DePaul and Providence and then getting destroyed by Marquette in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals, the Johnnies are squarely on the tournament bubble heading into Selection Sunday and have to wait anxiously until early Sunday evening to see if they're going dancing.

Seton Hall falls to Villanova, 74-72, in Big East Tournament final

Pirates' Myles Powell misses contested 3-pointer in closing seconds

Mar 16 | 9:27PM

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Kevin Willard proud of his team00:00:53

Head coach Kevin Willard comments on Seton Hall's hard-fought loss to Villanova in the Big East final

NEW YORK (AP) - Villanova became the first team to win three consecutive Big East Tournaments, beating Seton Hall 74-72 on Saturday night behind seniors Eric Paschall and Phil Booth and key contributions from freshman Saddiq Bey.

Seton Hall star Myles Powell, guarded closely by Booth, missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds that could have won it. Booth was called for traveling as he tried to corral the rebound, however, and the Pirates got one more chance with 0.4 seconds left. Anthony Nelson's long inbounds pass bounced off the backboard and was slapped away by the Wildcats, who got to party on the Madison Square Garden floor yet again.

The 25th-ranked and top-seeded Wildcats (25-9) were in the Big East final for a fifth straight year, and have won four of the last five championships. The only loss during that span was to Seton Hall in 2016, and Powell and the third-seeded Pirates (20-13) gave Villanova all it could handle once again.

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Seton Hall edges Marquette, 81-79, to advance to Big East Tournament final

Pirates will face Villanova in title game after surviving chippy affair

NEW YORK (AP) - Myles Powell sparked Seton Hall with 18 second-half points and Big East player of the year Markus Howard of Marquette came up short on a potential winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Pirates a chippy and foul-filled 81-79 victory in the Big East Tournament semifinals Friday night.

The third-seeded Pirates (20-12) will face top-seed and defending champion Villanova in the final Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in a rematch of the 2016 title game won by Seton Hall. >> Read more

Mar 14 | 11:47PM

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(Noah K. Murray)

NEW YORK (AP) Myles Powell scored 29 points in the first half to set a Big East Tournament record and finished with 31 to lead Seton Hall a 73-57 victory against Georgetown in the quarterfinals Thursday night.

The third-seeded Pirates (19-12) will face No. 2 seed Marquette in the second game of the semifinal doubleheader Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Seton Hall ended the regular season with consecutive victories against Marquette and Villanova and now seems safely in the NCAA Tournament field no matter what else happens this weekend in Manhattan. >> Read more

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St. John's blown out by Marquette, 86-54, in Big East Tournament quarterfinals

Johnnies look ahead to Selection Sunday to see if they're dancing

Mar 14 | 9:14PM

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St. John's crushed by Marquette00:00:39

St. John's head coach Chris Mullin and guard Justin Simon speak after their crushing loss to Marquette in the Big East Tournament.

NEW YORK (AP) Markus Howard scored 12 of his 30 points in a game-breaking 23-2 second-half run, and No. 23 Marquette snapped its four-game losing streak with an 86-54 rout of St. John's in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night.

Fellow guard Sacar Anim added 13 points as the second-seeded Golden Eagles (24-8) beat seventh-seeded St. John's (21-12) for the first time in three tries this season. Sam Hauser had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

"It was as complete a performance as we've had in some time," coach Steve Wojciechowski said.

The win advanced Marquette to its first Big East semifinal since 2010 against No. 3 seed Seton Hall or No. 6 seed Georgetown, who played in the late quarterfinal at Madison Square Garden. The Golden Eagles split with both teams. >> Read More

NEW YORK (AP) Shamorie Ponds scored 18 points, had seven assists and led a second-half surge as St. John's gave their NCAA hopes a boost with a much-needed 82-74 victory against DePaul in the first round of the Big East Tournament Wednesday night.

The seventh-seeded Red Storm (21-11) will face No. 2 seed Marquette in the third game of the quadruple header at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. St. John's avoided being swept three games by the 10th-seeded Blue Demons (15-15), burying DePaul in the second half.

"We just beat two ranked teams. We beat Kentucky. We beat Maryland," said Powell, who added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in more than 36 minutes. "The list goes on. We can play with anybody in the country when we are playing our basketball."

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Seton Hall's insane 18-0 run upsets No. 16 Marquette in 73-64 win

Myles Powell led the way for the Pirates with 34 points

Mar 7 | 12:28AM

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Seton Hall stuns Marquette00:01:00

Seton Hall needed to beat Marquette for their tournament hopes to stay alive. They ended the game with an 18-0 run to stun Marquette.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) As Quincy McKnight dribbled into the frontcourt in the waning seconds, a smile came across the face of the Seton Hall point guard and it wasn't long before his teammates starting jumping around and hugging each other as if they had won a tournament game.

The Hall didn't win anything other than a game against No. 16 Marquette on Wednesday, but the way the Pirates did it and what it meant was extraordinary.

Myles Powell scored 34 points and Seton Hall revived its NCAA Tournament hopes by scoring the final 18 points to beat the Golden Eagles 73-64 at the Prudential Center.

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With Selection Sunday approaching, where do New York's college hoops teams stand?

With Selection Sunday fast approaching, as many as half a dozen teams from New York State are in position to make the NCAA Tournament.

Here's a look at where each team stands now and what they need to do to make the Big Dance:

Syracuse

The skinny: Despite getting thrashed by Virginia 79-53 on Monday night, the Orange (19-11, 10-7 ACC) are safely into the Big Dance thanks to wins over then-No. 1 Duke in January and then-No. 18 Louisville in February. The Orange have a NET ranking of 39 and are currently a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com. Syracuse will be a top-7 seed in the ACC Tournament next week in Charlotte, N.C., and the Orange will get a first-round bye. They could help their NCAA Tournament seeding with a deep run in the ACCs.

With their win over Villanova on Feb. 17, St. John's put themselves back in play for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. After a hiccup on the road against Providence on Feb. 20, the Johnnies dominated Seton Hall in a wire-to-wire victory on Saturday that almost certainly cemented their spot in the Tourney.

With three games remaining (vs. Xavier on Feb. 28, @ Depaul on Mar. 3, @ Xavier on Mar. 9), followed by the Big East Tournament, St. John's is now likely playing for seeding.

Here's where the Bracketology experts currently have them dancing...

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In light of Zion Williamson's injury, should college athletes get paid?

Williamson suffers Grade 1 knee sprain vs. UNC

Feb 24 | 7:10PM

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College athletes should get paid00:00:59

SNY's Chris Williamson argues that college athletes should get paid and Zion Williamson's scare with an injury proves it.

Duke freshman phenom Zion Williamson is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. But his recent knee sprain has people wondering if he should shut down his college season to prepare for the next level.

And on the same note, it has people wondering if college athletes should be paid.

LJ Figueroa, St. John's rally to upset No. 13 Villanova 71-65

Red Storm use 20-5 run to overtake defending champs

Feb 17 | 7:47PM

St. John's overcame an early deficit, roaring back to beat Villanova, 71-65, bolstering their hopes of earning an NCAA tournament bid

LJ Figueroa scored 22 points and St. John's rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to stun No. 13 Villanova 71-65 on Sunday night.

The Red Storm (19-7, 7-6 Big East) were down 48-34 with 12:30 left. St. John's scored 20 of the next 25 points to take its first lead on Figueroa's 3-pointer from the corner that brought the sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden to its feet. During that run, Villanova coach Jay Wright was hit with a technical foul for arguing a call.

If the NCAA tournament began today, St. John's would be a No. 9 seed in the Big Dance, according to the latest ESPN bracketology.

The Red Storm did themselves a big favor by knocking off No. 10 Marquette on the road on Tuesday, and now play five of their next six games at home. This stretch is pivotal for the Johnnies (17-6, 5-5 Big East), who can really help their NCAA tournament chances by taking care of their home court -- both at Madison Square Garden starting with Saturday's tilt against Providence and at Carnesecca Arena.

St. John's best opportunity for another signature win during the homestand comes on Feb. 17 when they host No. 14 Villanova, which is undefeated in the Big East (10-0) entering its tilt on Saturday at Marquette.

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WATCH: Moose gives his 'State of the New York Sports Fan' speech

It's time for Boston's sports reign to end

Feb 6 | 10:06PM

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NY deserves championship teams00:01:32

The New England Patriots added another trophy to the Boston area trophy case and it's now time for New York to reclaim the best sports town.

With the New England Patriots collecting yet another Super Bowl ring, it was another reminder that Boston sports have been superior to New York sports.

This one fact paints the picture perfectly: A 4-month-old baby who lives in Boston has experienced more parades than a 45-year-old Mets-Jets-Knicks fan living in the Big Apple.

Well, it's time for that to stop and SNY's Marc Malusis believes it can. He explains in his "State of the New York Sports Fan" speech...

As the Knicks and their fans fantasize about a potential future featuring some combination of Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Williamson says it would be pretty sweet to play with those players.

"I mean, it would be dope to play with KD and Kyrie, but like I said I'm enjoying college and whichever team drafts me I'm going to be ready to play hard and work," Williamson told me in the Duke locker room after going for 29 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks as No. 2 Duke beat St. John's 91-61 on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Knicks (10-41) own the NBA's worst record and have full on "Stopped Tryin' for Zion." This week, they traded Kristaps Porzingis and nearly half their team to the Dallas Mavericks, and now have nearly $75 million in cap space to pursue two max free agents this summer, with Durant and Irving squarely in their sights.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Shamorie Ponds scored 26 points and St. John's had its best shooting game of the season while forcing Creighton into its worst shooting game, rolling to an 83-67 win on Wednesday night.

Mustapha Heron added 17 points and LJ Figueroa 15 for the Red Storm (16-5, 4-5 Big East Conference), who snapped a two-game skid. Ponds also had eight rebounds, eight assists and six steals.

Despite missing its last four shots, St. John's shot 65 percent (15 of 23) in the second half to finish the game at 57.9 (33 of 57). Its previous best was 57.4 percent. >> Read More

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After loss to Georgetown, NCAA Tourney hopes for St. John's on fumes

The Johnnies have lost four of their last five games -- all against the Big East

Patrick Ewing and Georgetown avenged an early-season loss to St. John's with an 89-78 win at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

NEW YORK -- The chances of St. John's getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament may have died in a series of failed putbacks in the final minutes on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

With the Red Storm trailing Georgetown by two points with about 1:20 remaining, L.J. Figueroa made a steal at midcourt and the Garden crowd let out a tremendous roar because the home team had at chance to tie the game after trailing for much of the second half. Figueroa opted for a pull-up 3-pointer from the left arc that rimmed out, and St. John's then had one, two, three, four good looks at a putback that would've tied the game.

None of them went through the net, Georgetown big man Jessie Govan ended up with the ball and fed Mac McClung for an uncontested dunk on the other end.

McClung was 9-of-19 shooting with four 3-pointers and slammed home a dunk in transition with 1:11 to go for an 81-77 lead after the Red Storm missed three shots on their possession. A block by Govan led to another easy transition basket by Josh LeBlanc for the Hoyas (13-7, 3-4 Big East) as they avenged a 97-94 overtime loss to St. John's in Washington on Jan. 5.

LeBlanc added 15 points for Georgetown, which had lost four of its previous five games.

St. John's to take on Georgetown

St. John's Red Storm head coach Chris Mullin reacts during the first half against the Georgetown Hoyas at Capital One Arena. (Scott Taetsch/USA TODAY Sports)

Old friends and rivals Chris Mullin and Patrick Ewing with renew their rivalry on Sunday in a critical Big East game at Madison Square Garden.

St. John's (15-4, 3-4) and Georgetown (12-7, 2-4) are both under .500 in league play and need to win some games if they're going to make a push toward the NCAA tournament. Typically, Big East teams need to finish at least 9-9 in league play to make the Big Dance.

"I'm looking forward to playing my old buddy Chris one more time," Ewing, the former Georgetown and Knicks legend and current Georgetown coach, said Thursday.

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WATCH: Hofstra secures first conference road win vs. JMU

Joe Mihalich: "Anytime you win on the road, it's like gold."

Jan 24 | 11:19PM

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Hofstra tops JMU 85-6800:01:02

Hofstra travelled to James Madison to secure their first conference road win. The Pride's defense led to offense in a strong effort.

Hofstra traveled to James Madison to secure their first conference road win, 86-68. The Pride's ever-changing defense led to offense in a strong effort.

"Anytime you win on the road, it's like gold," said head coach Joe Mihalich.

Russo joined SNY's Jonas Schwartz on "The Climb" Podcast

Jan 23 | 9:44PM

While on The Climb podcast, Chris Russo opens up about the bad years he had doing the show with Mike Francesa and what ultimately saved it.

Legendary sports talk radio show host Chris "Mad Dog" Russo joined SNY's Jonas Schwartz on "The Climb" podcast, and he had loads to say about his former radio show co-host Mike Francesa.

It is no secret Russo and Francesa had their fair share of qualms during their 19 years in the WFAN booth, and Mad Dog admitted that there "four or five really bad" fights in that span.

At the end of the day, though, both sides knew they needed to at least work it out on air.

"You have to admit, 'I need him, he needs me.' " Russo said. "We gotta figure out a way to make this work."

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The Climb: Chris 'Mad Dog' Russo shares his story

Jan 22 | 2:46PM

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The Climb is the podcast that tells the stories of big names in the New York sports scene, and how they got to the top of their industry. On the premiere episode, SNY's Jonas Schwartz sits down with sports talk radio legend Chris "Mad Dog" Russo. They chat about the very beginnings of Russo's broadcasting career, the origin of the "Mad Dog" nickname, the rise of the Mike and the Mad Dog show, his infamous battles with Mike Francesa, the details of how their show ended, and the challenges he faced when moving to Sirius XM and MLB Network.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Kamar Baldwin scored 30 points, Jordan Tucker added 24 and Butler held off St. John's for an 80-71 win on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (12-7, 3-3 Big East) had their largest lead after a 17-2 run made it 58-36 early in the second half, but the Red Storm (15-4, 3-4) scored 12 straight in one run and six straight in another to close within 73-69 with 50 seconds remaining. Butler made 7 of 8 free throws from there to secure the victory.

Baldwin was two points of career high and grabbed eight rebounds for Butler. Tucker was 6 of 11 from 3-point range. Sean McDermott scored seven points to go with his 12 rebounds.

NEW YORK (AP) Shamorie Ponds had 22 points and five assists in his return from a back injury and St. John's broke away from Creighton for an 81-66 victory Wednesday night.

Mustapha Heron scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the Red Storm (15-3, 3-3 Big East), who lost their previous two games. That quickly knocked St. John's out of the AP Top 25 this week after the school's first appearance in four years.

LJ Figueroa had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Justin Simon added 16 points and four steals. >> Read More

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Shamorie Ponds-less St. Johns falls to DePaul, 79-71

LJ Figueroa led the Johnnies with 23 points

Jan 12 | 9:09PM

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Mullin takes blame for struggles00:00:45

Chris Mullin and Marvin Clark II try to stay positive after St. John's played without Shamorie Ponds and lost their second straight game.

NEW YORK (AP) Femi Olujobi had 27 points and eight rebounds in his New York homecoming and DePaul pulled away from No. 24 St. John's, beating the short-handed Red Storm 79-71 on Saturday night for its first win over a ranked team in almost three years.

Star guard Shamorie Ponds sat out with a lower back strain for St. John's (14-3, 2-3 Big East), which dropped its second straight game since moving into the AP Top 25 for the first time in four years.

Paul Reed added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Demons (10-5, 2-2), who snapped a 17-game skid against ranked opponents that dated to a victory over No. 11 Providence in February 2016. The last time the Blue Demons defeated a ranked foe on the road was a season earlier at No. 24 Seton Hall. >> Read More

Instead, the No. 24 Johnnies are 14-2 and 2-2 in the league, behind Villanova, Marquette and Seton Hall. They play three of their next four games at home -- beginning with Saturday against DePaul (9-5, 1-2) -- and need to take care of the home court in those games.